Saudi women launch legal fight against driving ban

Two Saudi female activists have filed law suits against the government for refusing to issue them driver's licences and banning them from driving a car.

Manal al-Sherif, left, was arrested in May 2011 and detained for 10 days after posting on YouTube a video of herself driving. Right: Saudi women board a taxi in Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaPhoto: AP

7:00AM GMT 06 Feb 2012

Manal al-Sherif, the icon of an internet campaign launched last year urging Saudi women to defy a ban on driving, and human rights activist Samar Badawi filed their suits against the interior ministry.

Ms Sherif, who was arrested in May 2011 and detained for 10 days after posting on YouTube a video of herself driving, said she decided to file the lawsuit after having been denied a driver's licence.

"There is no actual law that states woman can't drive" in Saudi Arabia and therefore "no justification for preventing them from issuing a licence," said Ms Sherif, one of the activists behind a My Right, My Dignity campaign aimed at ending discrimination against women in Saudi Arabia.

Ms Badawi said the grievance board at the interior ministry had informed her to "follow-up in a week" to confirm a court appointment for her lawsuit.

Ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia is the only country where women are not allowed to drive. However, they sit behind the wheel in desert regions away from the capital.